CN105473447A - Method of forming flexible container - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of forming a flexible container is disclosed, the method comprising joining a first flexible material and a second flexible material together to form a joined material; using the joined material, at least partially forming a structural support volume and a an inflation port in communication with the support volume; and a product volume and a fill port in communication with the product volume formed at least in part by bonding a third flexible material to the bonded material.

Description

Method of forming a flexible container

technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to containers, and in particular, the present disclosure relates to methods of forming containers made from flexible materials.

Background technique

Flowable products include liquid products and/or pourable solid products. In various embodiments, a container can be used to receive, contain and dispense one or more fluent products. Also, in various embodiments, the container can be used to receive, hold and/or dispense individual articles or separately packaged portions of a product. A container may contain one or more product volumes. The product volume may be configured to be filled with one or more fluent products. The container receives the fluent product as it fills its product volume. Once filled to the desired volume, the container can be configured to hold the fluent product in its product volume until the fluent product is dispensed. The container holds the fluent product by providing a barrier around the fluent product. The barrier prevents the flowing product from escaping from the product volume. The barrier also protects the flowable product from the external environment of the container. The filled product volume is usually closed by a cap or seal. A container may be configured to dispense one or more fluent products contained within one or more product volumes thereof. Once dispensed, the end user may consume, administer or otherwise use the one or more fluent products as appropriate. In various embodiments, the container can be configured to be refilled and reused or the container can be configured to be discarded after a single fill or even a single use. A container should be constructed with sufficient structural integrity such that it can successfully receive, contain and dispense its fluent product or products as intended.

Containers for one or more fluent products can be handled, displayed for sale, and put into use. Containers can be handled in many different ways as they are prepared, filled, decorated, packaged, shipped, and unpacked. Containers can experience a variety of external forces and environmental conditions as they are handled by machines and people, moved by equipment and vehicles, and contacted by other containers and various packaging materials. A container for one or more fluent products should be constructed with sufficient structural integrity such that it can be successfully handled as intended in any of these ways, or in any other way known in the art.

The container can also be displayed for sale in a number of different ways when it is offered for purchase. The container may be sold as a single article, or the container may be sold packaged with one or more other containers or products which together form the article. Containers can be sold as primary packaging with or without secondary packaging. When the container is displayed for sale, the container may be decorated to display characters, graphics, logos, and/or other visual elements. The container may be configured to be displayed for sale while resting or standing upright on a store shelf, presented in a merchandising display, hung from a display hanger, or loaded in a display rack or vending machine. A container for one or more fluent products should be constructed with a structure that allows it to be successfully displayed as intended in any of these ways, or in any other way known in the art.

Containers can also be put into service by their end users in many different ways. The container can be configured to be held and/or grasped by the end user so that it should be appropriately sized and shaped for the human hand; and to this end, the container can include available structural features such as handles and/or grips. grip surface. The container may be resting or standing on a support surface, while being hung on or from a projection such as a hook or clip, or while being supported by a product holder, or (for refillable or refillable recharging container) is stored while positioned in a refill or recharging station. The container may be configured to dispense one or more fluent products when in any of these storage positions or when held by a user. The container may be configured to dispense one or more fluent products by using gravity, and/or pressure, and/or a dispensing mechanism such as a pump or a straw, or by using other types of dispensers known in the art. Some containers may be configured to be filled and/or refilled by a seller (eg, a wholesaler or retailer) or by an end user. A container for one or more fluent products should be constructed with a structure that allows it to be successfully put into service as intended in any of these ways, or in any other way known in the art. The container can also be configured to be disposed of by the end user as waste and/or recyclable material in various ways.

One conventional type of container for flowable products is a rigid container made of one or more solid materials. Examples of conventional rigid containers include molded plastic bottles, glass jars, metal cans, cardboard boxes, and the like. These conventional rigid containers are well known and generally available; however, their design does present some significant difficulties.

First, some conventional rigid containers for flowable products can be expensive to manufacture. Some rigid containers are made from a process of shaping one or more solid materials. Other rigid containers are made by a phase change process in which the container material is heated (to soften/melt), then shaped, and then cooled (to harden/solidify). Both fabrications are energy-intensive processes that may require complex equipment.

Second, some conventional rigid containers for flowable products may require a large amount of material. Rigid containers designed to stand upright on a support surface require solid walls thick enough to support the container as it is filled. This can require a large amount of material, which adds to the cost of the container and can make its disposal difficult.

Third, some conventional rigid containers for flowable products can be difficult to decorate. The size, shape (eg, curved surface) and/or material of some rigid containers make it difficult to print directly on their outer surfaces. Labeling requires additional materials and handling, and limits the size and shape of the decoration. Packaging provides a large decorative area, but also requires additional materials and handling, often at high cost.

Fourth, some conventional rigid containers used for flowable products may be prone to certain types of damage. If a rigid container is pushed against a rough surface, the container can experience abrasion which can blur the printing on the container. If a rigid container is pressed against a hard object, the container can become dented, which can make it look unsightly. And if the rigid container is dropped, the container may break, which can cause loss of its flowable product.

Fifth, some runny products in conventional rigid containers can be difficult to dispense. When an end user squeezes a rigid container to dispense its fluent product, the end user must overcome the resistance of the rigid sides to deform the container. Some users may lack hand strength to easily overcome the resistance; these users may dispense less than their desired amount of flowable product. Other users may need to exert so much force with their hands that they cannot easily control the degree to which they deform the container; these users may dispense more fluent product than they desire.

Contents of the invention

This disclosure describes various embodiments of containers made from flexible materials. Because these containers are made of flexible materials, these containers can be less expensive to manufacture, can use less material and can be easier to decorate when compared to conventional rigid containers. First, these containers can be less expensive to manufacture because the transformation of flexible materials (from sheet form to finished product) generally requires less energy and complexity than the formation of rigid materials (from block form to finished product). Second, these containers can use less material because they are constructed with a novel support structure that does not require the use of thick core walls used in conventional rigid containers. Third, these flexible containers can be easier to print and/or decorate because they are made of a flexible material, and the flexible material can be printed and/or decorated as a conformal web before it is formed into a container. Fourth, these flexible containers may be less prone to wear, dents, and cracks because the flexible material allows their outer surfaces to deform and then bounce back when contacting surfaces and objects. Fifth, the flowable products in these flexible containers can be more easily and carefully dispensed because the sides of the flexible containers can be squeezed more easily and controllably by human hands. Although made of flexible materials, the container of the present disclosure can be constructed with sufficient structural integrity such that it can successfully receive, contain, and dispense one or more fluent products as intended. Additionally, these containers can be constructed with sufficient structural integrity such that they can successfully withstand external forces and environmental conditions from handling. Additionally, these containers can be constructed with a structure that allows them to be successfully displayed and put into service as intended.

To form a flexible container, an exemplary method includes joining two flexible materials together to form a joined material, and at least partially forming at least one structural support volume from the joined material. The method also includes forming at least one inflation port in communication with the at least one structural support volume. The method also includes joining another material to the joined material to at least partially form the product volume and also form at least one fill port in communication with the product volume.

In one embodiment, the method may include at least partially filling the product volume with the quantity of fluent product through the fill port. The method may also include expanding the at least one structural support volume by depositing an expansion material into the structural support volume through the expansion port. After at least partially filling the product volume and depositing the expansion material, the method may include sealing the fill port and the expansion port.

In one embodiment, the two flexible materials may comprise an inner laminate and an outer laminate, wherein neither the inner laminate nor the outer laminate are aligned. In another embodiment, said two flexible materials forming said joined material may comprise an inner laminate and an outer laminate, wherein at least the outer laminate is aligned. In another embodiment, the two materials may comprise an inner laminate and an outer laminate, wherein both the inner laminate and the outer laminate are aligned. In another embodiment, the inner and outer laminates may suitably comprise the same material, or alternatively they may comprise different materials.

In another aspect, the inner and outer laminates may suitably comprise two distinct sheets of material, or alternatively they may comprise two distinct webs of material.

Preferably, the flexible container has a top, bottom, middle, front, rear, left and right sides, and fill ports and inflation ports are formed at said top, bottom, middle, front, rear, left and right sides At least one of the right sides is for at least partially filling the product volume with flowing product and depositing expansion material into the at least one structural support volume. Additionally, the expansion material may comprise any of a variety of materials capable of occupying the at least one structural support volume including liquid nitrogen that may be deposited into the at least one structural support volume through an expansion port , the expansion port may thereafter be sealed to allow the liquid nitrogen to evaporate to pressurize the at least one structural support volume.

The exemplary method may also include providing an expansion material fill nozzle to deposit expansion material into the at least one structural support volume through the expansion port, and moving the expansion material fill nozzle relative to the expansion port. In particular, the expandable material fill nozzle is suitably movable in at least one direction to position the expandable material fill nozzle adjacent the expansion port for depositing expandable material into the at least one structural support volume. After the expansion material is deposited through the expansion port, the expansion material fill nozzle may suitably be moved in at least one direction to position the expansion material fill nozzle away from the expansion port and may seal the expansion port.

As an alternative, the expansion port guide nozzle may be positioned within the expansion port prior to filling the nozzle with expansion material to deposit expansion material into the at least one structural support volume. In one embodiment, when the expansion port pilot nozzle is positioned in the expansion port for depositing the expansion material, the expansion material fill nozzle can be moved into the expansion port pilot nozzle. With this arrangement, the expansion material filling nozzle may be removed from the expansion port pilot nozzle before or simultaneously with removal of the expansion port pilot nozzle from the expansion port.

The exemplary method may include providing a fluent product filling nozzle to deposit the fluent product into the product volume through the fill port, and moving the fluent product filling nozzle relative to the fill port. The fluent product fill nozzle is movable in at least one direction to position the fluent product fill nozzle adjacent to the fill port for depositing the fluent product into the product volume. After depositing the fluent product through the fill port, the fluent product filling nozzle may suitably be moved in at least one direction to position the fluent product filling nozzle away from the fill port and may seal the fill port.

As an alternative, the fill port guide nozzle may be positioned within the fill port prior to filling the nozzle with the fluent product to deposit the fluent product into the product volume. In one embodiment, the fluent product fill nozzle may be moved into the fill port guide nozzle when the fill port guide nozzle is positioned in the fill port for depositing the fluent product. With this arrangement, the fluent product filling nozzle may be removed from the fill port pilot nozzle before or simultaneously with removal of the fill port pilot nozzle from the fill port.

The product volume is filled with an amount of fluent product comprising between about 1% and about 100%, preferably between about 50% and about 100%, and more preferably between about 75% and about 100% of the total usable volume of the product volume between, and the method includes removing excess air from the product volume prior to sealing the fill port.

In another aspect, the flexible container is preferably shaped to have a top and a bottom and include a base structure formed from said joined materials by folding said joined materials at the bottom of the flexible container and forming a seal. The gussets may advantageously be provided therein by forming a seal in the base structure. In addition, a product dispensing port is advantageously formed in communication with the product volume, said product dispensing port being sealed, openable for dispensing the fluent product, and closable after the fluent product has been dispensed.

Other advantages and features will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.

Description of drawings

Figure 1A shows a front view of an embodiment of a stand up flexible container.

Figure IB shows a side view of the stand up flexible container of Figure IA.

Figure 1C shows a top view of the stand up flexible container of Figure 1A.

Figure ID shows a bottom view of the stand up flexible container of Figure 1A.

Figure 2A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a frustum of a cone.

Figure 2B shows a front view of the container of Figure 2A.

Figure 2C shows a side view of the container of Figure 2A.

Figure 2D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 2A.

Figure 3A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a pyramid.

Figure 3B shows a front view of the container of Figure 3A.

Figure 3C shows a side view of the container of Figure 3A.

Figure 3D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 3A.

Figure 4A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a triangular prism.

Figure 4B shows a front view of the container of Figure 4A.

Figure 4C shows a side view of the container of Figure 4A.

Figure 4D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 4A.

Figure 5A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a quadrangular prism.

Figure 5B shows a front view of the container of Figure 5A.

Figure 5C shows a side view of the container of Figure 5A.

Figure 5D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 5A.

Figure 6A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a pentagonal prism.

Figure 6B shows a front view of the container of Figure 6A.

Figure 6C shows a side view of the container of Figure 6A.

Figure 6D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 6A.

Figure 7A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a cone.

Figure 7B shows a front view of the container of Figure 7A.

Figure 7C shows a side view of the container of Figure 7A.

Figure 7D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 7A.

Figure 8A shows a top view of a stand up flexible container with a structural support frame having an overall shape like a cylinder.

Figure 8B shows a front view of the container of Figure 8A.

Figure 8C shows a side view of the container of Figure 8A.

Figure 8D shows an isometric view of the container of Figure 8A.

Figure 9A shows a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting flexible container having an overall shape like a square.

Figure 9B shows an end view of the flexible container of Figure 9A.

Figure 10A shows a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting flexible container having an overall shape such as a triangle.

Figure 10B shows an end view of the flexible container of Figure 10A.

FIG. 11A shows a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting flexible container having an overall shape such as a circle.

11B shows an end view of the flexible container of FIG. 11A.

Figure 12A shows an isometric view of a push-pull dispenser.

Figure 12B shows an isometric view of the dispenser with a flip top.

Figure 12C shows an isometric view of a dispenser with a screw cap.

Figure 12D shows an isometric view of a rotatable dispenser.

Figure 12E shows an isometric view of a nozzle-type dispenser with a cap.

Figure 13A shows an isometric view of a straw dispenser.

Figure 13B shows an isometric view of a straw dispenser with a lid.

Figure 13C shows an isometric view of the flip-up straw dispenser.

Figure 13D shows an isometric view of a straw dispenser with a mouthpiece valve.

Figure 14A shows an isometric view of a pump dispenser.

Figure 14B shows an isometric view of a pump spray dispenser.

Figure 14C shows an isometric view of a trigger spray dispenser.

15 is a perspective view of a production line layout for a method of forming flexible containers for one embodiment.

16A is a top plan view of two webs after a sealing step at a first station for forming a flexible container.

Figure 16B is a front elevational view of the sealed web shown in Figure 16A.

Figure 17A is a top plan view after the folding step has been performed at the second station for forming the flexible container.

Figure 17B is a front elevational view of the folded web shown in Figure 17A.

Figure 18A is a top plan view after the cutting/sealing step has been performed at the third station for forming the flexible container.

Figure 18B is a front elevational view of the cut/sealed web shown in Figure 18A.

Figure 19A is a top plan view after the folding step has been performed at the fourth station for forming the flexible container.

Figure 19B is a front elevational view of the folded web shown in Figure 19A.

Figure 20A is a top plan view after the folding step has been performed at the fifth station for forming the flexible container.

Figure 20B is a front elevational view of the folded web shown in Figure 20A.

Figure 21A is a top plan view after the T-folding step has been performed at the sixth station for forming the flexible container.

Figure 21B is a front elevational view of the T-folded web shown in Figure 21A.

Figure 22A is a top plan view after the T-sealing/cutting step has been performed at the seventh station for forming the flexible container.

Figure 22B is a front elevation view of the T-shaped sealing/cutting web shown in Figure 22A.

Figure 23 is a top plan view after the sealing/cutting step has been performed at the eighth station to complete the formation of the flexible container.

Figure 24A is a top plan view showing the flexible container at the ninth station ready to be filled with fluent product and expansion material.

Figure 24B is an end elevation view of the flexible container shown in Figure 24A, showing the fill port for depositing the fluent product.

Figure 24C is an end elevation view of the flexible container shown in Figure 24B, showing the expansion port for depositing expansion material.

Figure 25 is a top plan view of the flexible container after sealing/cutting has been performed at station 12 to remove the fill and inflation ports to finalize the flexible container.

detailed description

This disclosure describes various embodiments of containers made from flexible materials. Because these containers are made of flexible materials, these containers can be less expensive to manufacture, can use less material and can be easier to decorate when compared to conventional rigid containers. First, these containers can be less expensive to manufacture because the conversion of flexible materials (from sheet form to finished product) generally requires less energy and complexity than the formation of rigid materials (from block form to finished product). Second, these containers can use less material because they are constructed with a novel support structure that does not require the use of thick core walls used in conventional rigid containers. Third, these flexible containers can be easier to decorate because the flexible material can be easily printed on before it is formed into a container. Fourth, these flexible containers are less prone to wear, dents, and cracks because the flexible material allows their outer surfaces to deform and then bounce back when contacting surfaces and objects. Fifth, flowable products in these flexible containers can be more easily and carefully dispensed because the sides of the flexible container can be more easily and controllably squeezed by human hands.

Although made of flexible materials, the container of the present disclosure can be constructed with sufficient structural integrity such that it can successfully receive, contain, and dispense one or more fluent products as intended. Additionally, these containers can be constructed with sufficient structural integrity such that they can successfully withstand external forces and environmental conditions from handling. Additionally, these containers can be configured with structures that allow them to be successfully displayed for sale and put into service as intended.

As used herein, the term "about" modifies a particular value by referring to a range equal to plus or minus twenty percent (+/- 20%) of the particular value. For any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein, in various alternative embodiments, any disclosure of a particular value may also be understood to be equivalent to a range of about that particular value (i.e. +/ -20%) publicity.

As used herein, the term "ambient conditions" refers to a temperature in the range of 15-35 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity in the range of 35-75%.

As used herein, the term "about" modifies a particular value by referring to a range equal to plus or minus fifteen percent (+/- 15%) of the particular value. With respect to any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein, in various alternative embodiments, any disclosure of a specific value may also be understood to be a range equal to approximately the specified value (i.e. +/ -15%) publicity.

As used herein, the term "basis weight" when referring to a sheet of material refers to a measure of mass per unit area in grams per square meter (gsm). With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any of the flexible materials can be configured to have a basis weight of 10-1000 gsm, or any integer number of gsm from 10-1000 value, or within any range formed by any of these values, such as 20-800gsm, 30-600gsm, 40-400gsm or 50-200, etc.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "bottom" refers to the portion of the container that is located in the lowermost 30% of the overall height of the container (ie, 0-30% of the overall height of the container). As used herein, the term bottom can be further restricted by modifying the term bottom with a certain percentage value of less than 30%. With respect to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various alternative embodiments, reference to the bottom of the container may refer to the bottom 25% (i.e., 0-25% of the total height), the bottom 20% (ie 0-20% of the total height), bottom 15% (ie 0-15% of the total height), bottom 10% (ie 0-10% of the total height), or bottom 5% (ie 0-15% of the total height) 5%), or any integer percentage value between 0% and 30%.

As used herein, the term "logo" refers to a visual element intended to distinguish a product from other products. Examples of marks include any one or more of the following: trademarks, trade dress, logos, icons, etc. With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the flexible container may comprise any of the dimensions, in any combination, disclosed herein or known in the art. One or more flags for a shape or configuration.

As used herein, the term "character" refers to a visual element intended to convey information. Examples of characters include any one or more of the following: letters, numbers, symbols, and the like. With respect to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the flexible container may comprise any size, shape, or size disclosed herein or known in the art, in any combination. or construct one or more characters.

As used herein, the term "closed" refers to the state of a product volume in which flowing product in the product volume is prevented from escaping the product volume (e.g., by one or more materials forming a barrier, and by a cap), but the product volume does not It must be hermetically sealed. For example, a closed container may include a vent that allows the headspace in the container to be in fluid communication with the air in the environment outside the container.

As used herein, the term "directly connected" refers to a configuration in which elements are attached to each other without any intervening elements therebetween (other than any attachment means (eg, adhesives)).

As used herein, the term "dispenser" when referring to a flexible container refers to a structure configured to dispense one or more fluent products from a product volume and/or from a mixing volume to the environment outside of the container. For any of the flexible containers disclosed herein, any dispenser may be configured in any manner disclosed herein or known in the art, including any suitable size, shape, and capacity. For example, the dispenser can be a push-pull dispenser, a dispenser with a flip cap, a dispenser with a screw cap, a swivel dispenser, a dispenser with a top cap, a pump dispenser, a pump spray Dispensers, trigger spray dispensers, straw dispensers, flip up straw dispensers, straw dispensers with bite valves, dosing dispensers, etc. The distributor may be a parallel distributor, providing multiple flow channels in fluid communication with multiple product volumes, wherein those flow channels remain independent until the point of dispensing, thus allowing the fluent products from the multiple product volumes to be processed as independent fluent products Assigned, together are assigned at the same time. The dispenser may be a mixing dispenser, providing one or more flow channels in fluid communication with multiple product volumes, wherein the multiple flow channels combine prior to the point of dispensing, thus allowing flow products from multiple product volumes to be mixed together as of flow products are dispensed. As another example, the dispenser may be formed from a frangible opening. As a further example, the dispenser may utilize one or more valves and/or dispensing mechanisms disclosed in the art, such as those disclosed in: Published U.S. Patent Application 2003/2003 entitled "One-way valve for inflatable package". 0096068; US Patent 4,988,016, entitled "Self-sealing container"; and US 7,207,717, entitled "Packagehaving fluidactuated closure"; each of these patent applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, any of the dispensers disclosed herein may be incorporated into a flexible container directly, or in combination with one or more other materials or structures, such as accessories, or in any manner known in the art. In some alternative embodiments, dispensers disclosed herein may be configured for both dispensing and filling, thereby allowing one or more product volumes to be filled through one or more dispensers. In other alternative embodiments, the product volume may also include one or more filling structures (e.g., for adding water to the mixing volume) in addition to or instead of one or more dispensers . Any location of the dispenser disclosed herein may alternatively be used as a location for the filling structure.

As used herein, the term "disposable" when referring to a flexible container means that the container is not configured to be refilled with an additional quantity of product after distribution of the product to an end user, but is instead configured to be discarded ( That is, as waste, compost and/or recyclable material). Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments of flexible containers disclosed herein may be configured to be disposable.

As used herein, the term "durable" when referring to flexible containers refers to containers that are reused more times than non-durable containers.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "effective base contact area" refers to the area of the base contacted by the container when the container (wherein its entire product volume is 100% filled with water) is upright and its bottom rests on a horizontal support surface. A specific area defined by a portion of the bottom. The effective base contact area lies in the plane defined by the horizontal support surface. The effective base contact area is the continuous area bounded on all sides by the outer perimeter.

The outer perimeter is formed by the actual contact area and by a series of projected areas from a defined cross-section taken at the bottom of the container. When defining an effective base contact area, the actual contact area is the portion or portions of the container bottom that contact the horizontal support surface. The effective base contact area includes all actual contact areas. However, in some embodiments, the effective pedestal contact area may extend beyond the actual contact area.

The series of projected areas is formed by five horizontal cross-sections taken at the bottom of the flexible container. These cross sections are taken at 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% of the overall height. The outer extent of each of these cross-sections is projected vertically downward onto the horizontal support surface to form five (overlapping) projected areas which together with the actual contact area form a single combined area. This is not the sum of the values of these areas, but a single combined area comprising all these (projected and actual) areas overlapping each other, where any overlap only affects the single combined area once.

The outer perimeter of the active pedestal contact area is formed as described below. In the following description, the terms convex, protrusion, concave and concave should be understood from the point of view outside the combined area. The outer perimeter is formed by the combination of the outer extent of the combined region and any chords, which are straight segments constructed as described below.

For each successive portion of the combined area whose outer perimeter has a concave or concave shape, a chord is constructed across said portion. The chord is the shortest line segment that can be drawn tangent to the combined area on both sides of the concave/concave portion.

For a discontinuous combined area (formed by two or more separate parts), one or more chords surround the outer perimeter of the combined area, spanning one or more discontinuous parts (openings provided between parts space) to construct. These chords are straight line segments drawn tangent to the outermost independent part of the combined area. These chords are drawn to produce the largest possible effective base contact area.

Thus, the outer perimeter is formed by the combination of the outer extent of the combined area and any chords constructed as described above, all of which together enclose the effective base area. Any chords and/or one or more other chords defined by the combined region are not part of the outer perimeter and should be disregarded.

Any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein may be configured to have a square centimeter (cm ² ), or any integer cm ² value between 1 and 50,000 cm ² , or between any of the foregoing The effective base contact area in any range formed by values, such as: 2 to 25,000 cm ² , 3 to 10,000 cm ² , 4 to 5,000 cm ² , 5 to 2,500 cm ² , 10 to 1,000 cm ² , 20 to 500 cm ² , 30 to 300cm ² , 40 to 200cm ² , or 50 to 100cm ² , etc.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "expanded" refers to one or more flexible materials configured to form a structural support volume after the structural support volume has been made rigid by one or more expanded materials state. Before the structural support volume is filled with the one or more expandable materials, the expanded structural support volume has an overall width that is significantly greater than the combined thickness of its one or more flexible materials. Examples of expanding materials include liquids (such as water), gases (such as compressed air), flow products, foams (which can expand after being added to the structural support volume), co-reactive materials (which generate gases), or phase change materials ( It may be added in solid or liquid form, but converted to a gas; eg, liquid nitrogen or dry ice), or other suitable materials known in the art, or a combination of any of these (eg, fluent product and liquid nitrogen). In various embodiments, the expansion material may be added at atmospheric pressure, or at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, or added to provide a material change that will increase the pressure to some pressure above atmospheric pressure. For any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, the one or more flexible materials thereof may expand at various points in time corresponding to their manufacture, sale, and use, including, for example: at Before and after filling one or more of its product volumes with one or more fluent products, before and after transporting the flexible container to a vendor, before and after the flexible container is purchased by an end user.

As used herein, when referring to the product volume of a flexible container, the term "filled" means, under ambient conditions, when the product volume contains an amount of one or more flowing products (with a top) equal to the full capacity of the product volume. The state of the space margin). As used herein, the term filled may be modified by using the term filled with a particular percentage value, where 100% filled represents the maximum capacity of the product volume.

As used herein, the term "flat" refers to a surface having no significant protrusions or depressions.

As used herein, the term "flexible container" refers to a container configured to have a product volume, wherein the one or more flexible materials form 50-100% of the total surface area of the one or more materials defining the three-dimensional space of the product volume. With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, the flexible container can be configured to have a product volume in which the one or more flexible materials form one or more layers defining a three-dimensional space. a specific percentage of the total area of the material, and said specific percentage is any integer percentage value between 50% and 100%, or within any range formed by any of these values, such as: 60-100% , or 70-100%, or 80-100%, or 90-100%, etc. One type of flexible container is a film-based container, which is a flexible container made from one or more flexible materials, including a film.

With regard to any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein, in various embodiments, the middle of the flexible container (in addition to any fluent product) can be configured to have a total middle mass, one or more of which The flexible material forms a specific percentage of said total central mass, and said specific percentage is any integer percentage value between 50% and 100%, or within any range formed by any of the preceding values, such as: 60 -100%, or 70-100%, or 80-100%, or 90-100%, etc.

With regard to any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein, in various embodiments, the entire flexible container (except any fluent product) can be configured to have a total mass wherein one or more flexible materials forming a specific percentage of said total mass, and said specific percentage is any integer percentage value between 50% and 100%, or within any range formed by any of the preceding values, such as: 60-100% , or 70-100%, or 80-100%, or 90-100%, etc.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "flexible material" refers to a thin, easily deformable sheet material having a flexibility factor in the range of 1,000-2,500,000 N/m. With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any of the flexible materials can be configured to have a Any integer value of the flexibility factor, or a flexibility factor in any range formed by any of these values, such as 1,000-1,500,000N/m, 1,500-1,000,000N/m, 2,500-800,000N/m, 5,000-700,000N /m, 10,000-600,000N/m, 15,000-500,000N/m, 20,000-400,000N/m, 25,000-300,000N/m, 30,000-200,000N/m, 35,000-100,000N/m, 40,000-90,000N/m m, or 45,000-85,000N/m, etc. In this disclosure, the terms "flexible material", "flexible sheet", "sheet" and "sheet-like material" are used interchangeably and are intended to have the same meaning. Examples of materials that may be flexible materials include one or more of any of the following: films (such as plastic films), elastomers, foam sheets, foils, fabrics (including wovens and non-wovens), biologically derived materials, and Paper, in any configuration, as one or more independent materials, or as one or more layers of a laminate, or as one or more parts of a composite material, in a microlayer structure or nanolayer structure, and with Any combination, as described herein or known in the art. In various embodiments, a portion, portions, or all of the flexible material may be coated or uncoated, treated or untreated, processed or unprocessed in any manner known in the art. In various embodiments, a portion, portions, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of the flexible material may be made from sustainable, biosourced, recycled, recyclable Made from recycled and/or biodegradable materials. Part, parts, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the flexible materials described herein may be partially or fully translucent, partially or fully transparent , or partially or completely opaque. The flexible materials used to make the containers disclosed herein can be formed in any manner known in the art, and can be joined together using any type of joining or sealing method known in the art, including, for example, heat sealing (e.g., conductive sealing, pulse sealing, ultrasonic sealing, etc.), welding, crimping, bonding, adhering, etc., and combinations of any of these.

As used herein, when referring to flexible containers, the term "flexibility factor" refers to a material parameter of a thin, easily deformable, sheet material, wherein said parameter is measured in Newtons per meter and said flexibility factor is equal to The product of a material's Young's modulus value (measured in Pascals) and the material's total thickness value (measured in meters).

As used herein, the term "flowable product" when referring to a flexible container refers to one or more liquids and/or pourable solids, and combinations thereof. Examples of flowable products include one or more of any of the following: food, small coins, creams, chips, chunks, crumbs, crystals, lotions, flakes, gels, grains, granules, jellies, coarse Grits, liquid solutions, liquid suspensions, lotions, blocks, ointments, granules, granules, pastes, tablets, pills, powders, salves, flakes, crumbs, etc., singly or in any combination form. In this disclosure, the terms "flowable product" and "flowable product" are used interchangeably and are intended to have the same meaning. Any of the product volumes disclosed herein may be configured to include, in any combination, one or more of any of the fluent products disclosed herein or known in the art.

As used herein, when referring to flexible containers, the term "formed" refers to the state of one or more materials configured to form a product volume after the product volume has its defined three-dimensional space.

As used herein, the term "graphic" refers to a visual element intended to provide decoration or convey information. Examples of graphics include one or more of any of the following: colours, patterns, designs, images, etc. With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the flexible container may comprise any of the dimensions, in any combination, disclosed herein or known in the art. One or more figures of shape or construction.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "height-to-area ratio" means the ratio of the container, in units per centimeter (cm ^-1 ), which is equal to the overall height value of the container (wherein all of its product volumes are 100 % filled with water, and where the overall height is measured in centimeters) divided by the effective base contact area value of the container (where its entire product volume is 100% filled with water, and where the effective base contact area is measured in square centimeters Measurement). With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any flexible container can be configured to have an ^-1 is any value in increments, or height-to-area ratio within any range formed by any of the foregoing values, such as: 0.35 to 2.0 cm ⁻¹ , 0.4 to 1.5 cm ⁻¹ , 0.4 to 1.2 cm ⁻¹ , or 0.45 to 0.9cm ^-1 etc.

As used herein, the term "indicia" refers to one or more of characters, graphics, logos or other visual elements in any combination. With regard to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of the flexible container may comprise any of the dimensions, in any combination, disclosed herein or known in the art. One or more markers for a shape or construct.

As used herein, the term "indirectly connected" refers to a configuration in which elements are attached to each other with one or more intervening elements therebetween.

As used herein, the term "joined" refers to a configuration in which elements are connected directly or indirectly.

As used herein, the term "lateral" refers to a direction, orientation or measurement parallel to the lateral centerline of a container when the container is standing upright on a horizontal support surface, as described herein. The lateral orientation may also be referred to as "horizontal" orientation, and the lateral dimension may also be referred to as "width."

As used herein, the term "like numbered" refers to similar alphanumeric designations for corresponding elements, as described below. Designations of like numbered elements have the same last two digits; for example, one element with a designation ending in the number 20 and another element with a designation ending in the number 20 are similarly numbered. Like-numbered elements may be identified with a different first numeral, where the first numeral matches its figure number; for example, an element of FIG. 3 labeled 320 is like-numbered an element of FIG. 4 labeled 420 . Designations for like-numbered elements may have the same or possibly different (e.g., consistent with a particular embodiment) suffix (i.e., the portion of the designation after the dash); for example, the first embodiment of the element in FIG. A second embodiment of elements in FIG. 3B, identified as 320-b, is similarly numbered.

As used herein, the term "longitudinal" refers to a direction, orientation or measurement parallel to the longitudinal centerline of a container when the container is standing upright on a horizontal support surface, as described herein. The longitudinal orientation may also be referred to as a "vertical" orientation. When expressed relative to the horizontal support surface of the container, the longitudinal measurement may also be referred to as the "height" measured above the horizontal support surface.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "middle" refers to the portion of the container between the top of the container and the bottom of the container. As used herein, the term middle may be modified by describing the term middle with reference to a particular percentage value for the top and/or a particular percentage value for the bottom. With respect to any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein, in various alternative embodiments, references to the middle of the container may refer to any particular percentage value for the top as disclosed herein and/or herein. The portion of the container between (in any combination) any particular percentage value disclosed for the bottom.

As used herein, the term "mixing volume" refers to a type of product volume configured to receive one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes and/or from the environment external to the container.

As used herein, the term "multi-dose" when referring to product volume refers to a product sized to contain a specified amount of product approximately equal to two or more units of typical consumption, administration, or use by the end user volume. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers disclosed herein can be configured to have one or more multi-dose product volumes. A container having only one product volume (which is a multi-dose product volume) is referred to herein as a "multi-dose container"

As used herein, the term "nearly" modifies a particular value by referring to a range equal to plus or minus five percent (+/- 5%) of the particular value. With respect to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, any disclosure of a specific value is also understood to be equivalent to approximately the specified value (i.e. +/- 5% ) to the extent of disclosure.

As used herein, the term "non-durable" when referring to flexible containers refers to containers that are temporarily reusable, or disposable, or single use.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "nonstructural panel" refers to a layer of one or more adjacent sheets of flexible material having an outermost major surface facing outward, toward the ambient exterior of the flexible container , and facing inwardly toward the innermost major surface of one or more product volumes disposed within the flexible container; the nonstructural panels are configured such that the layers are not provided independently in the process of making the container self-supporting and/or upright Basic support.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "overall height" refers to the distance measured when the container is standing upright on a horizontal support surface, from the upper side of the support surface to the upper side of the container on the top of the support surface. The point farthest to the side is measured vertically. Any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein can be configured to have any value between 2.0 cm and 100.0 cm, or between 2.0 and 100.0 cm in increments of 0.1 cm, or between any of the foregoing values. A total height within any range formed, such as: 4.0 to 90.0 cm, 5.0 to 80.0 cm, 6.0 to 70.0 cm, 7.0 to 60.0 cm, 8.0 to 50.0 cm, 9.0 to 40.0 cm, or 10.0 to 30.0 cm, etc.

As used herein, "open and fill station" or "opening station" or "open and fill" refers to various methods and devices used to open any port to allow deposition of flowing material in a location. Examples include, but are not limited to, opening via insufflation of gas or liquid, mechanical opening, opening by clamping, clamping and articulation, opening via vacuum clamping, manual opening, opening via guided tools (such as rails, probes, etc.), and Any combination of the above methods.

As used herein, when referring to a sheet of flexible material, the term "overall thickness" refers to the linear dimension measured perpendicular to the outer major surface of the sheet when the sheet is laid flat. With respect to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any of the flexible materials can be configured to have a micrometer (μm) of 5-500, or any integer number of microns from 5-500. value, or the total thickness within any range formed by any of these values, such as 10-500 μm, 20-400 μm, 30-300 μm, 40-200 μm, or 50-100 μm, etc.

As used herein, the term "product volume" refers to an enclosable three-dimensional space configured to receive and directly contain one or more fluent products, wherein the space is defined by one or more materials forming a barrier that Prevent one or more flowable products from escaping the product volume. By directly containing one or more fluent products, the fluent products are in contact with materials forming an enclosable three-dimensional space; with no intermediate material or container preventing such contact. In this disclosure, the terms "product volume" and "product receiving volume" are used interchangeably and are intended to have the same meaning. Any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein may be configured to have any number of product volumes, including one product volume, two product volumes, three product volumes, four product volumes, five product volumes, six product volumes, product volumes, or even more product volumes. In some embodiments, one or more product volumes may be enclosed within another product volume. Any of the product volumes disclosed herein may have a product volume of any size, including 0.001 liters to 100.0 liters, or any value between 0.001 liters and 3.0 liters in increments of 0.001 liters, or between 3.0 liters and 10.0 liters in increments of 0.01 liters, or between 10.0 liters and 100.0 liters in increments of 1.0 liters, or within any range formed by any of the foregoing, such as : 0.001 to 2.2 liters, 0.01 to 2.0 liters, 0.05 to 1.8 liters, 0.1 to 1.6 liters, 0.15 to 1.4 liters, 0.2 to 1.2 liters, 0.25 to 1.0 liters, etc. The product volume can have any shape in any orientation. A product volume may be contained in a container with a structural support frame, and a product volume may be contained in a container without a structural support frame.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "resting on a horizontal support surface" means that the container rests directly on the horizontal support surface without other support.

As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term "sealed" refers to the state of the product volume in which fluent product within the product volume is prevented from escaping the product volume (e.g., by one or more materials forming a barrier, and by sealing pieces), and the product volume is hermetically sealed.

As used herein, the term "self-supporting" when referring to a flexible container means that the container includes a product volume and a structural support frame, wherein the structural support frame is configured in at least one orientation when the container rests on a horizontal support surface To prevent the container from collapsing and to produce an overall height of the container that is significantly greater than the combined thickness of the materials forming the container, even when the product volume is not filled. Any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein can be configured to be self-supporting.

As used herein, the term "single use" when referring to a flexible container means that a closed container is not configured to be reclosed after being opened by an end user. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers disclosed herein can be configured for single use.

As used herein, the term "single dose" when referring to a product volume is a product volume sized to contain a specified amount of product approximately equal to one unit of typical consumption, administration or use by the end user. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers disclosed herein can be configured to have one or more single-dose product volumes. A container having only one product volume, which is a single-dose product volume, is referred to herein as a "single-dose container".

As used herein, the terms "upright" and "erect" when referring to a flexible container refer to a particular orientation of a self-supporting flexible container when the container rests on a horizontal support surface. The upright orientation may be determined by structural features of the container and/or markings on the container. In the first determination test, if the flexible container has a clearly defined base structure configured for use on the bottom of the container, the container is determined to be upright when the base structure rests on a horizontal support surface of. If the first test fails to determine an upright orientation, then in a second determination test, the container is determined to be upright when it is oriented to rest on a horizontal support surface such that the indicia on the flexible container is optimally positioned in a vertical orientation. If the second test fails to determine an upright orientation, then in a third determination test, the container is determined to be upright when it is oriented to rest on a horizontal support surface such that the container has a maximum overall height. If the third test fails to determine an upright orientation, then in a fourth determination test, the container is determined to be upright when it is oriented to rest on a horizontal support surface such that the container has a maximum height-to-area ratio. If the fourth test fails to determine an upright orientation, any orientation used in the fourth determination test may be considered an upright orientation.

As used herein, the term "upright container" when referring to a flexible container means a self-supporting container in which, when the container is upright (wherein its entire product volume is 100% filled with water), the container has a thickness of 0.4 to 1.5 cm ^-1 height-to-area ratio. Any of the flexible container embodiments disclosed herein can be configured as a stand-up container.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "structural support frame" means a rigid structure formed of one or more structural support members surrounding one or more sizable hollow The space and/or one or more non-structural panels are joined together and typically serve as the primary support for one or more product volumes in a flexible container and to make the container self-supporting and/or upright. In each of the embodiments disclosed herein, when the flexible container includes a structural support frame and one or more product volumes, unless otherwise specified, the structural support frame is considered to support the product volume of the container.

As used herein, the term "structural support member" when referring to a flexible container refers to a rigid physical structure comprising one or more expanding structural support volumes and which is configured for use in a structural support frame to span a span Carries one or more loads (from flex containers). A structure that does not include at least one expanded structural support frame is not considered a structural support member as used herein.

The structural support member has two defined ends, a middle portion between the two ends, and an overall length from one end thereof to the other end thereof. A structural support member may have one or more cross-sectional areas, each of which has an overall width that is less than its overall length.

Structural support members can be constructed in a variety of ways. The structural support member may comprise one, two, three, four, five, six or more structural support volumes arranged in various ways. For example, a structural support member may be formed from a single structural support volume. As another example, a structural support member may be formed from a plurality of structural support volumes arranged end-to-end in series, wherein in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or approximately all, of some or all of the structural support volumes Or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be partially or completely in contact with each other, partially or completely directly connected to each other, and/or partially or completely bonded to each other. As another example, a structural support member may be formed from a plurality of support volumes arranged in parallel, side-by-side, wherein in various embodiments, some or all of some or all of the structural support volumes are part, parts, or about all, or approximately all , or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be partially or completely in contact with each other, partially or completely directly connected to each other, and/or partially or completely bonded to each other.

In some embodiments, a structural support member may comprise a plurality of different kinds of elements. For example, a structural support member may include one or more structural support volumes together with one or more mechanical reinforcement elements (e.g., tie rods, collars, connectors, joints, ribs, etc.), which may be formed by one or more rigid ( For example solid) material.

Structural support members can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A portion, portions, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of the structural support member may be straight, curved, angled, segmented, or otherwise shaped, or A combination of any of these shapes. A portion, portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of the structural support member may have any suitable cross-sectional shape, such as circular, oval, square, triangular, star shapes, or modified versions of these shapes, or other shapes, or combinations of any of these shapes. The structural support member may have an overall shape that is tubular, or convex or concave along part, parts, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of the length. Structural support members may have any suitable cross-sectional area, any suitable overall width, and any suitable overall length. The structural support member may be substantially uniform along a portion, portions, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of its length, or along a portion, portions, or About all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may vary in any of the ways described herein. For example, the cross-sectional area of a structural support member may increase or decrease along a portion, portions, or all of its length. Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments of the structural support members of the present disclosure may be constructed in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosed herein, including any number of structures, features, materials of any of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or any feasible combination of connections.

As used herein, the term "structural support volume" when referring to a flexible container refers to a fillable space made of one or more flexible materials, wherein the space is configured to be at least partially filled with one or more An expanded material that creates tension in the one or more flexible materials and forms an expanded structural support volume. One or more expanded structural support volumes are configured to be included in the structural support member. Structural support volumes differ from structures that are constructed in other ways, such as: structures that do not have fillable spaces (e.g., open spaces), structures made of inflexible (e.g., solid) materials, structures that are not configured to be filled with Structures with spaces of expanded material (e.g., unattached areas between adjacent layers in a multilayer panel), and structures with flexible materials that are not configured to be expanded by the expanded material (e.g., in structures configured as non-structural panels space in the structure). In this disclosure, the terms "structural support volume" and "expandable chamber" are used interchangeably and are intended to have the same meaning.

In some embodiments, the structural support framework may comprise a plurality of structural support volumes, wherein some or all of the structural support volumes are in fluid communication with each other. In other embodiments, the structural support framework may comprise a plurality of structural support volumes, wherein some or none of the structural support volumes are in fluid communication with each other. Any of the structural support frames of the present disclosure may be configured with any of the types of fluid communication disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term "substantially" modifies a particular value by referring to a range equal to plus or minus ten percent (+/- 10%) of the particular value. With respect to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, any disclosure of a specific value is also understood to be equivalent to approximately the specified value (i.e. +/- 10% ) to the extent of disclosure.

As used herein, the term "temporarily reusable" when referring to a flexible container means that after dispensing the product to the end user, the container is configured to be refilled up to ten times with an additional amount of product, and the container is then subjected to conditions that render it uncomfortable. Failure to receive, contain or distribute product. As used herein, the term temporarily reusable can be further limited by modifying the number of times a container can be refilled before experiencing such failure. With respect to any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various alternative embodiments, reference to temporarily reusable may mean by refilling up to eight times and then failing, by refilling six times and then failing. Temporarily reusable by invalidating, by refilling four times and then invalidating, or by refilling twice and then invalidating, or by refilling any integer value between one and ten times and then invalidating. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers disclosed herein can be configured to be temporarily reusable for the number of refills disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term "thickness" refers to the measurement parallel to the third centerline of the container when the container is standing upright on a horizontal support surface, as described herein. Thickness may also be referred to as "depth".

As used herein, the terms "aligned" or "aligned" when used alone or in combination with another term such as "cut", "sealed", etc. will be understood to broadly include the September 3, 2002 published The teachings and disclosure of commonly owned US Patent 6,444,064 "Registration System for Phasing Simultaneously Advancing Webs of Material Having Variable Pitch Lengths," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In the case of a flexible container formed from two webs, if there is a pattern on one web, the web with the pattern will be aligned with the line or machine. If the flexible container is formed from two webs each having a pattern, the two webs will be aligned with the production line or machine and with each other. If the flexible container is formed from two webs without a pattern, neither web needs to be aligned with the line or machine, nor with each other.

If a flexible container is formed from two webs and holes are formed, seals are created, folds are made, material is cut, and/or other handling and manipulation operations are performed, one or Both can be aligned with the production line or machine and/or with each other.

As used herein, the term "transverse" when used relative to the longitudinal direction shall be understood to mean a non-longitudinal angle, i.e., at an angle to the longitudinal direction, which may be at right angles from the longitudinal direction or from about 5 to about 175 degrees any other angle. It should be understood that this may be mirrored on both sides of the longitudinal direction, ie from about 185 to about 355 degrees.

As used herein, the term "longitudinal" is used to describe a longitudinal direction and includes any direction from about 0 to about 5 degrees or from about 175 to about 180 degrees from the longitudinal direction. It should be understood that this may be mirrored on both sides of the longitudinal direction, namely about 180 to about 185 and about 355 to about 360 degrees.

As used herein, when used in conjunction with fill ports, product volumes, and expansion ports or structural support volumes, the term filled or filled or any form thereof shall be understood to refer to the flow of product and expansion material or any other substance from the Fill anywhere associated with a flexible container, e.g. top, bottom, front, back, left, right, etc., including at seams, between layers and/or through holes/orifices/nozzles , and/or by heat seals, and/or by one or more layers, such as by non-structural panels, structural support volumes, or otherwise filled.

As used herein, the term "port" and/or "fill port" and/or "inflation port" and/or "product dispensing port" shall be understood to refer to any location such as top, bottom, front, rear, Openings and/or valves on the left, right, etc., including at seams, between layers, and/or through holes/orifices/nozzles, and/or through heat seals, and/or through A layer or layers, eg through non-structural panels, structural support volumes, or otherwise present openings and/or valves.

As used herein, the term "product dispensing port" will be understood to mean openings and/or valves, which may be sealable, openable, reclosable and/or resealable, which are in fluid communication with a product volume such that Capable of dispensing flowable material from the product volume to the exterior of the flexible container. The product dispensing port may also serve as a fill port and vice versa in some embodiments.

As used herein, the terms "cut and seal" and/or "cut/seal" or any version thereof shall be understood to refer to any operation that involves performing a cutting step and a sealing step substantially simultaneously, for example, using heat Wire, formed and/or sharpened heat seal dies, laser cut/seals, hot air knives, etc., thereby minimizing the overall number of operations while inherently aligning the seal and cut.

As used herein, the term "cutting" is intended to include any method for separating material. This may include, but is not limited to: die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, hot wire cutting, air knife cutting, hand cutting with scissors, knife cutting, and the like.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "top" refers to the portion of the container that is located in the uppermost 20% of the overall height of the container (ie, 80-100% of the overall height of the container). As used herein, the term top can also be further limited by modifying the term top with a certain percentage value of less than 20%. For any of the embodiments of the flexible container disclosed herein, in various alternative embodiments, reference to the top of the container may refer to the top 15% (i.e., 85-100% of the total height), the top 10% (ie 90-100% of the total height), the top 5% (ie 95-100% of the total height), or any integer percentage value between 0% and 20%.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term "unexpanded" refers to the state of one or more materials configured to form a structural support volume before the structural support volume is made rigid by the expanded material.

As used herein, when referring to the product volume of a flexible container, the term "unfilled" refers to the state of the product volume when it does not contain a fluent product.

As used herein, when referring to flexible containers, the term "unformed" refers to the state of one or more materials configured to form a product volume before the product volume has its defined three-dimensional space. For example, the article of manufacture may be a container blank having an unformed product volume in which sheets of flexible material (with portions joined together) lie flat relative to each other.

Flexible containers as described herein can be used for a variety of products across a variety of industries. For example, flexible containers as described herein can be used throughout the consumer product industry, including the following products: soft surface cleaners, hard surface cleaners, glass cleaners, tile cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, wood cleaners, multi-surface cleaners detergents, surface disinfectants, dishwashing compositions, laundry detergents, fabric conditioners, fabric dyes, surface protectants, surface disinfectants, cosmetics, face powders, body powders, hair treatment products (e.g., mousse , hairspray, styling gel), shampoo, hair conditioner (leave-in or rinse-off), nourishing hair toner, hair dye, hair coloring products, hair highlighting products, hair oil, anti-frizz products, split ends Restorative products, hair perm lotions, anti-dandruff preparations, body washes, shower gels, body washes, facial cleansers, skin care products (e.g., sunscreens, sunscreen lotions, lip balms, skin conditioners, cold creams, moisturizers ), body spray, soap, body scrub, exfoliating cream, astringent, scrub lotion, depilatory, antiperspirant composition, deodorant, shaving product, pre-shave product, post-shave product, toothpaste , Mouthwash, etc. As additional examples, flexible containers as described herein may be used in other industries, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, merchandise, industrial, medical, and the like.

1A-1D illustrate various views of one embodiment of a stand up flexible container 100 . FIG. 1A shows a front view of container 100 . The container 100 stands upright on a horizontal support surface 101 .

In FIG. 1A, coordinate system 110 provides a reference line for indexing directions in the figure. Coordinate system 110 is a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system having an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, where each axis is perpendicular to the other axes, and any two of the axes define a plane. The X-axis and Z-axis are parallel to the horizontal support surface 101 , and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the horizontal support surface 101 .

FIG. 1A also includes other reference lines for indexing orientation and position relative to container 100 . The lateral centerline 111 runs parallel to the X-axis. The XY plane at the lateral centerline 111 divides the container 100 into a front half and a rear half. The XZ plane at the lateral centerline 111 divides the container 100 into upper and lower halves. The longitudinal centerline 114 runs parallel to the Y-axis. The YZ plane at the longitudinal centerline 114 divides the container 100 into left and right halves. The third centerline 117 runs parallel to the Z-axis. Lateral centerline 111 , longitudinal centerline 114 and third centerline 117 all intersect at the center of container 100 .

The arrangement relative to the lateral centerline 111 defines what is a longitudinally inner side 112 and a longitudinally outer side 113 . When the first location is closer to the lateral centerline 111 than the second location is, the first location is considered to be disposed longitudinally inboard 112 with respect to the second location. Also, the second location is considered to be disposed longitudinally outward 113 from the first location. The term lateral refers to a direction, orientation or measure parallel to the lateral centerline 111 . The lateral orientation may also be referred to as horizontal orientation, and the lateral dimension may also be referred to as width.

The disposition relative to the longitudinal centerline 114 defines what is laterally inboard 115 and laterally outboard 116 . When the first position is closer to the longitudinal centerline 114 than the second position is, the first position is considered to be disposed laterally inboard 115 with respect to the second position. Also, it is considered that the second location is positioned laterally outward 116 from the first location. The term longitudinal refers to a direction, orientation or measurement parallel to the longitudinal centerline 114 . The longitudinal orientation may also be referred to as vertical orientation.

Longitudinal, orientation or measure may also be expressed relative to the horizontal support surface of the container 100 . When the first location is closer to the support surface than the second location, the first location may be considered to be disposed lower than, below, below or below the second location. Also, it is considered that the second position is disposed higher than the first position, above the first position, or disposed upward from the first position. The longitudinal measurement may also be referred to as the height measured above the horizontal support surface 100 .

Measurements made parallel to the third centerline 117 are referred to as thickness or depth. An arrangement in the direction of the third centerline 117 and towards the front 102-1 of the container is referred to as forward 118 or forward. An arrangement in the direction of the third centerline 117 and towards the rear 102-2 of the container is referred to as reverse 119 or rearward.

As noted above, these terms for direction, orientation, measure, and arrangement are used in all embodiments of the present disclosure, regardless of whether a supporting surface, datum line, or coordinate system is shown in the figures.

Container 100 includes top 104 , middle 106 and bottom 108 , front 102 - 1 , back 102 - 2 , and left and right sides 109 . The top 104 is separated from the middle 106 by a reference plane 105 parallel to the XZ plane. The top 106 is separated from the bottom 108 by a reference plane 107 which is also parallel to the XZ plane. Container 100 has an overall height of 100-oh. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the front portion 102-1 and the rear portion 102-2 of the container are joined together at a seal 129 that surrounds the outer perimeter of the container 100, across the top 104, and toward the sides 109. extending downwardly and then splitting outwardly at the bottom of each side 109 to run around the outer extent of the front and rear portions of the base 190 along said front and rear portions.

Container 100 includes structural support frame 140 , product volume 150 , dispenser 160 , panels 180 - 1 and 180 - 2 , and base structure 190 . A portion of panel 180 - 1 is shown broken away to illustrate product volume 150 . Product volume 150 is configured to hold one or more fluent products. The dispenser 160 allows the container 100 to dispense these fluent products from the product volume 150 to the environment outside the container 100 through the flow channel 159 and then through the dispenser 160 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A-1D , dispenser 160 is positioned in the center of the uppermost portion of top 104 , however, in various alternative embodiments, dispenser 160 may be positioned at top 140 , middle portion 106 or any other location on the bottom 108 , including any location on any of the sides 109 , on any of the panels 180 - 1 and 180 - 2 , and on any portion of the base 190 of the container 100 . Structural support frame 140 supports the mass of one or more fluent products in product volume 150 and allows container 100 to stand upright. Panels 180-1 and 180-2 are relatively flat surfaces that cover product volume 150 and are suitable for displaying either type of indicia. However, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of either or both of panels 180-1 and 180-2 One or more curved surfaces may be included. The base structure 190 supports the structural support frame 140 and provides stability to the container 100 when it is standing upright.

Structural support frame 140 is formed from a plurality of structural support members. Structural support frame 140 includes top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2, middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4, and bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2.

Top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are disposed on the upper portion of the top 104 of the container 100, wherein the top structural support member 144-1 is disposed in the front portion 102-1 and the top structural support member 144-2 is disposed in the rear. Section 102-2, after the top structural support member 144-1. Top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are adjacent to each other and may contact each other along laterally outer portions of their lengths. In various embodiments, the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 may be along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of their total lengths. , contact each other at one or more relatively smaller locations and/or at one or more relatively larger locations, so long as there is a flow channel 159 between the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2, This allows container 100 to dispense one or more fluent products from product volume 150 through flow channel 159 and then through dispenser 160 . Top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are not directly connected to each other. However, in various alternative embodiments, the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 may extend along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, of the total length thereof. Or nearly all, or all directly connected and/or joined together.

Top structural support members 144 - 1 and 144 - 2 are disposed substantially above product volume 150 . Generally, each of the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 is oriented approximately horizontally, but has a slight downward curve at its ends. And, generally, each of the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 has a substantially uniform cross-sectional area along its length; however, the cross-sectional area at its ends is slightly larger than that in the middle .

Middle structural support members 146 - 1 , 146 - 2 , 146 - 3 , and 146 - 4 are disposed on left and right sides 109 from top 104 through middle 106 to bottom 108 . The middle structural support member 146-1 is disposed in the front portion 102-1, on the left side 109; the middle structural support member 146-4 is disposed in the rear portion 102-2, on the left side 109, on the middle structural support member 146 After -1. Intermediate structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 are adjacent to each other and may contact each other along substantially all of their lengths. In various embodiments, the central structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 may be along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of their total lengths. , contact each other at one or more relatively small locations and/or at one or more relatively large locations. Intermediate structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 are not directly connected to each other. However, in various alternative embodiments, the central structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 may extend along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, Or nearly all, or all directly connected and/or joined together.

The middle structural support member 146-2 is disposed in the front portion 102-1, on the right side 109; the middle structural support member 146-3 is disposed in the rear portion 102-2, on the right side 109, on the middle structural support member 146 After -2. Intermediate structural support members 146-2 and 146-3 are adjacent to each other and may contact each other along substantially their entire lengths. In various embodiments, the central structural support members 146-2 and 146-3 may be along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of their total lengths. , contact each other at one or more relatively small locations and/or at one or more relatively large locations. Central structural support members 146-2 and 146-3 are not directly connected to each other. However, in various alternative embodiments, the central structural support members 146-2 and 146-3 may be along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, Or nearly all, or all directly connected and/or joined together.

Central structural support members 146 - 1 , 146 - 2 , 146 - 3 , and 146 - 4 are disposed substantially laterally outward from product volume 150 . Generally, each of the central structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 are approximately vertically oriented, but at a slight angle, with their upper ends laterally outward relative to their lower ends. And, generally, each of the central structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 has a cross-sectional area that varies along its length from its upper end to its lower end. Increased in size.

Bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are disposed on bottom 108 of container 100, wherein bottom structural support member 148-1 is disposed in front portion 102-1 and bottom structural support member 148-2 is disposed in rear portion 102- 2, after the top structural support member 148-1. The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are adjacent to each other and may contact each other along substantially all of their lengths. In various embodiments, the bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 can be positioned along a portion, or portions, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of the total length thereof. , contact each other at one or more relatively small locations and/or at one or more relatively large locations. The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are not directly connected to each other. However, in various alternative embodiments, the bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 may extend along a portion, or portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, of the total length thereof. Or nearly all, or all directly connected and/or joined together.

Bottom structural support members 148 - 1 and 148 - 2 are disposed substantially below product volume 150 , but substantially above base structure 190 . Generally, each of the bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 is approximately horizontally oriented, but has a slight upward curve at its ends. And, generally, each of bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 has a substantially uniform cross-sectional area along its length.

In the front of the structural support frame 140, the left end of the top structural support member 144-1 is joined to the upper end of the middle structural support member 146-1; the lower end of the middle structural support member 146-1 is joined to the lower end of the bottom structural support member 148-1. the left end; the right end of the bottom structural support member 148-1 is joined to the lower end of the middle structural support member 146-2; and the upper end of the middle structural support member 146-2 is joined to the right end of the top structural support member 144-1. Similarly, in the rear of the structural support frame 140, the left end of the top structural support member 144-2 is joined to the upper end of the middle structural support member 146-4; the lower end of the middle structural support member 146-4 is joined to the bottom structural support member 148 - the left end of 2; the right end of bottom structural support member 148-2 is joined to the lower end of middle structural support member 146-3; and the upper end of middle structural support member 146-3 is joined to the right end of top structural support member 144-2. In the structural support frame 140, the ends of the joined together structural support members are directly connected all around the perimeter of the structural support member walls. However, in various alternative embodiments, any of structural support members 144-1, 144-2, 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, 146-4, 148-1, and 148-2 One can be joined together in any manner described herein or known in the art.

In an alternative embodiment of the structural support frame 140, adjacent structural support members can be combined into a single structural support member, wherein the combined structural support member can effectively replace the adjacent structural support members, its function and Connect as described in this article. In other alternative embodiments of the structural support frame 140, one or more additional structural support members may be added to the structural support members in the structural support frame 140, wherein the expanded structural support frame may effectively replace the structural The supporting frame 140, its function and connections are as described herein. Additionally, in some alternative embodiments, the flexible container may not include a base structure.

FIG. 1B shows a side view of the stand up flexible container 100 of FIG. 1A .

Figure 1C shows a top view of the stand up flexible container 100 of Figure 1A.

FIG. 1D shows a bottom view of the stand up flexible container 100 of FIG. 1A .

2A-8D illustrate embodiments of stand up flexible containers having various overall shapes. Any of the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D may be constructed in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosed herein, including the embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1D . Any of the elements of the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D (eg, structural support frames, structural support members, panels, dispensers, etc.) may be constructed according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. While the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D each show a container with one dispenser, in various embodiments, each container may include multiple dispensers according to any of the embodiments described herein. 2A-8D illustrate exemplary additional/alternative locations for dispensers in phantom outline. Part, parts, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of each of the panels in the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D are adapted to display either indicia. Each of the side panels in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A-8D is configured as a non-structural panel covering one or more product volumes disposed within the flexible container, however, in various embodiments, any decorative or structural One or more elements (such as ribs protruding from the outer surface) may be joined to part, parts, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all of any of these side panels. All, or all. For clarity, not all structural details of these flexible containers are shown in FIGS. 2A-8D , however, any of the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D may be configured to include any structure or feature of the flexible containers disclosed herein. For example, any of the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D can be configured to include any of the base structures disclosed herein.

Figure 2A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 200 having a structural support frame 240 generally shaped like a truncated cone. In the embodiment of FIG. 2A , the frustum shape is based on a quadrangular pyramid, however, in various embodiments, the frustum shape can be based on a cone with a different number of sides, or the frustum shape can be based on a cone. The support frame 240 is formed of structural support members arranged along the edges of the frustum shape and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a rectangular top panel 280-t, trapezoidal side panels 280-1, 280-2, 280-3, and 280-4, and a rectangular bottom panel (not shown). Each of side panels 280-1, 280-2, 280-3, and 280-4 is approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or approximately all of any of these side panels , or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 200 includes a dispenser 260 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 200 . In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the dispenser 260 is disposed in the center of the top panel 280-t, however, in various alternative embodiments, according to any of the embodiments described or illustrated herein, the dispenser 260 may be provided at any other location on the top, side or bottom of container 200 . Figure 2B shows a front view of the container 200 of Figure 2A, including exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser, any of which may also be applied to the rear of the container. Figure 2C shows a side view of the container 200 of Figure 2A, including exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser (shown as dashed lines), either of which may be applied to either side of the container. Figure 2D shows an isometric view of the container 200 of Figure 2A.

Figure 3A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 300 having a structural support frame 340 generally shaped like a cone. In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the pyramid shape is based on a quadrangular pyramid, however, in various embodiments, the pyramid shape may be based on a cone with a different number of sides. The support frame 340 is formed of structural support members disposed along the edges of the cone shape and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define triangular side panels 380-1, 380-2, 380-3, and 380-4, and a square bottom panel (not shown). Each of side panels 380-1, 380-2, 380-3, and 380-4 is approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, portions, portions, or approximately all of any of these side panels , or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 300 includes a dispenser 360 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 300 . In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the dispenser 360 is positioned at the apex of the cone shape, however in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 360 may be positioned at any other location on the top, side, or bottom of the container 300. Location. Figure 3B shows a front view of the container 300 of Figure 3A, including exemplary additional/alternative locations (shown as dashed lines) for the dispenser, either of which may also be applied to either side of the container. Figure 3C shows a side view of the container 300 of Figure 3A. Figure 3D shows an isometric view of the container 300 of Figure 3A.

Figure 4A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 400 having a structural support frame 440 generally shaped like a triangular prism. In the embodiment of Figure 4A, the prismatic shape is based on a triangle. The support frame 440 is formed from structural support members disposed along the edges of the prisms and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a triangular top panel 480-t, rectangular side panels 480-1, 480-2, and 480-3, and a triangular bottom panel (not shown). Each of the side panels 480-1, 480-2, and 480-3 is approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or approximately all, or approximately all of any of these side panels , or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 400 includes a dispenser 460 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 400 . In the embodiment of FIG. 4A , the dispenser 460 is disposed in the center of the top panel 480-t, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 460 may be disposed on the top, side, or bottom of the container 400. any other location. 4B shows a front view of the container 400 of FIG. 4A , including exemplary additional/alternative locations (shown as dashed lines) for the dispenser, either of which may also be applied to either side of the container 400 . Figure 4C shows a side view of the container 400 of Figure 4A. Figure 4D shows an isometric view of the container 400 of Figure 4A.

Figure 5A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 500 having a structural support frame 540 generally shaped like a quadrangular prism. In the embodiment of Figure 5A, the prism is based on a square. The support frame 540 is formed from structural support members disposed along the edges of the prisms and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a square top panel 580-t, rectangular side panels 580-1, 580-2, 580-3, and 580-4, and a square bottom panel (not shown). Each of side panels 580-1, 580-2, 580-3, and 580-4 is approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, portions, portions, or approximately all of any of these side panels , or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 500 includes a dispenser 560 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 500 . In the embodiment of FIG. 5A, the dispenser 560 is disposed in the center of the top panel 580-t, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 560 may be disposed on the top, side, or bottom of the container 500. any other location. FIG. 5B shows a front view of the container 500 of FIG. 5A , including exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser (shown as dashed lines), any of which may also be applied to either side of the container 500 . Figure 5C shows a side view of the container 500 of Figure 5A. Figure 5D shows an isometric view of the container 500 of Figure 5A.

Figure 6A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 600 having a structural support frame 640 generally shaped like a pentagonal prism. In the embodiment of Figure 6A, the prism is based on a pentagon. The support frame 640 is formed from structural support members disposed along the edges of the prisms and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a pentagonal top panel 680-t, rectangular side panels 680-1, 680-2, 680-3, 680-4, and 680-5, and a pentagonal bottom panel (not shown) . Each of the side panels 680-1, 680-2, 680-3, 680-4, and 680-5 is approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, of any of these side panels , or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 600 includes a dispenser 660 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 600 . In the embodiment of FIG. 6A, the dispenser 660 is disposed in the center of the top panel 680-t, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 660 may be disposed on the top, side, or bottom of the container 600. any other location. FIG. 6B shows a front view of the container 600 of FIG. 6A , including exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser (shown as dashed lines), any of which may also be applied to either side of the container 600 . Figure 6C shows a side view of the container 600 of Figure 6A. Figure 6D shows an isometric view of the container 600 of Figure 6A.

Figure 7A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 700 having a structural support frame 740 generally shaped like a cone. The support frame 740 is formed from curved structural support members disposed around the base of the cone and straight structural support members extending linearly from the base to the apex, where the structural support members are joined together at their ends. The structural support members define somewhat curved triangular side panels 780-1, 780-2, and 780-3, and a circular bottom panel (not shown). Each of the side panels 780-1, 780-2, and 780-3 is curved, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or about all, or approximately all of any of these side panels , or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 700 includes a dispenser 760 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 700 . In the embodiment of FIG. 7A, the dispenser 760 is positioned at the apex of the cone, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 760 may be positioned at any other location on the top, side, or bottom of the container 700. Location. Figure 7B shows a front view of the container 700 of Figure 7A. 7C shows a side view of the container 700 of FIG. 7A , including exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser (shown as dashed lines), any of which may also be applicable to either side panel of the container 700. Figure 7D shows an isometric view of the container 700 of Figure 7A.

Figure 8A shows a front view of a stand up flexible container 800 having a structural support frame 840 with an overall shape resembling a cylinder. The support frame 840 is formed of curved structural support members disposed around the top and bottom of the cylinder and straight structural support members extending linearly from the top to the bottom, where the structural support members are joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a circular top panel 880-t, somewhat curved rectangular side panels 880-1, 880-2, 880-3, and 880-4, and a circular bottom panel (not shown). Each of the side panels 880-1, 880-2, 880-3, and 880-4 is curved, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or about all, of any of these side panels Or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all may be approximately flat, substantially flat, almost flat, or completely flat. Container 800 includes a dispenser 860 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 800 . In the embodiment of FIG. 8A, the dispenser 860 is disposed in the center of the top panel 880-t, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 860 may be disposed on the top, side, or bottom of the container 800. any other location. 8B shows a front view of the container 800 of FIG. 8A , including exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser (shown as dashed lines), any of which may also be applicable to either side panel of the container 800. Figure 8C shows a side view of the container 800 of Figure 8A. Figure 8D shows an isometric view of the container 800 of Figure 8A.

In additional embodiments, any upright flexible container with a structural support frame as disclosed herein can be configured to have an overall shape corresponding to any other known three-dimensional shape, including any kind of polyhedron, any kind of lateral triangle Platform, and any kind of prism (including right prism and uniform prism).

FIG. 9A shows a top view of an embodiment of a self-supporting flexible container 900 having an overall shape such as a square. Figure 9B shows an end view of the flexible container 900 of Figure 9A. The container 900 rests on a horizontal support surface 901 .

In FIG. 9B, coordinate system 910 provides a reference line for indexing directions in the figure. Coordinate system 910 is a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system having an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The X-axis and Z-axis are parallel to the horizontal support surface 901 and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the horizontal support surface 901 .

FIG. 9A also includes other reference lines for indexing orientation and position relative to container 100 . The lateral centerline 911 runs parallel to the X-axis. The XY plane at the lateral centerline 911 divides the container 100 into a front half and a rear half. The XZ plane at the lateral centerline 911 divides the container 100 into upper and lower halves. The longitudinal centerline 914 runs parallel to the Y-axis. The YZ plane at longitudinal centerline 914 divides container 900 into left and right halves. The third centerline 917 runs parallel to the Z-axis. Lateral centerline 911 , longitudinal centerline 914 and third centerline 917 all intersect at the center of container 900 . In the embodiment of Figures 9A-9B, these terms for direction, orientation, measurement and arrangement are the same as the similarly numbered terms in the embodiment of Figures 1A-1D.

Container 900 includes top 904 , middle 906 and bottom 908 , front 902 - 1 , back 902 - 2 , and left and right sides 909 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 9A-9B , the upper and lower halves of the container are joined together at a seal 929 that extends around the outer perimeter of the container 900 . The bottom of container 900 is constructed in the same manner as the top of container 900 .

The container 900 includes a structural support frame 940, a product volume 950, a dispenser 960, a top panel 980-t and a bottom panel (not shown). A portion of panel 980 - t is shown broken away to illustrate product volume 950 . Product volume 950 is configured to hold one or more fluent products. The dispenser 960 allows the container 900 to dispense these fluent products from the product volume 950 to the environment outside the container 900 through the flow channel 959 and then through the dispenser 960 . Structural support frame 940 supports the mass of one or more fluent products in product volume 950 . The top panel 980-t and the bottom panel are relatively flat surfaces that cover the product volume 950 and are suitable for displaying any kind of indicia.

Structural support frame 940 is formed from a plurality of structural support members. Structural support frame 940 includes front structural support members 943-1 and 943-2, intermediate structural support members 945-1, 945-2, 945-3, and 945-4, and rear structural support members 947-1 and 947- 2. Generally, each of the structural support members in container 900 is oriented horizontally. Also, each of the structural support members in container 900 has a substantially uniform cross-sectional area along its length, although in various embodiments, this cross-sectional area may vary.

Upper structural support members 943-1, 945-1, 945-2, and 947-1 are provided in the upper portion of the middle portion 906 and in the top portion 904, while lower structural support members 943-2, 945-4, 945-3, and 947- 2 are provided in the lower portion of the middle portion 906 and in the bottom 908. Upper structural support members 943-1, 945-1, 945-2, and 947-1 are disposed above and connected to lower structural support members 943-2, 945-4, 945-3, and 947-2, respectively. adjacent.

In various embodiments, adjacent upper structural support members and lower structural support members may be along part, or parts, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all, contact each other at one or more relatively small locations and/or at one or more relatively large locations, as long as there is contact between the structural support members 943-1 and 943-2 for flow passage The gap of 959 is enough. In the embodiment of Figures 9A-9B, the upper and lower structural support members are not directly connected to each other. However, in various alternative embodiments, adjacent upper structural support members and lower structural support members may be located along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all , or nearly all, or all directly connected and/or joined together.

The ends of the structural support members 943-1, 945-2, 947-1, and 945-1 are joined together to form a top square extending outward from and surrounding the product volume 950, and the structural support members 943-2, 945- 3. The ends of 947-2 and 945-4 are also joined together to form a bottom square extending outwardly from and enclosing the product volume 950. In the structural support frame 940, the ends of the joined together structural support members are directly connected all around the perimeter of the structural support member walls. However, in various alternative embodiments, any of the structural support members of the embodiments of FIGS. 9A-9B may be joined together in any manner described herein or known in the art.

In an alternative embodiment of the structural support frame 940, adjacent structural support members can be combined into a single structural support member, wherein the combined structural support member can effectively replace the adjacent structural support members, its function and Connect as described here. In other alternative embodiments of the structural support frame 940, one or more additional structural support members may be added to the structural support members in the structural support frame 940, wherein the expanded structural support frame may effectively replace the structural The supporting frame 940, its function and connections are as described herein.

10A-11B illustrate embodiments of self-supporting flexible containers (which are not stand-up containers) having various overall shapes. Any of the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B can be constructed in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosed herein, including the embodiments of FIGS. 9A-9B . Any of the elements of the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B (eg, structural support frames, structural support members, panels, dispensers, etc.) may be constructed according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. While the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B each show a container with one dispenser, in various embodiments, each container may include multiple dispensers according to any of the embodiments described herein. Part, parts, or about all, or about all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of each of the panels of the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B are adapted to display either indicia. Each of the top and bottom panels in the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B are configured as non-structural panels covering one or more product volumes disposed within a flexible container, however, in various One or more of a decorative or structural element, such as a rib protruding from an exterior surface, may be joined to part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all of any of these panels All, or almost all, or all. For clarity, not all structural details of these flexible containers are shown in FIGS. 10A-11B , however, any of the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B may be configured to include any structure or feature of the flexible containers disclosed herein.

Figure 10A shows a top view of one embodiment of a self-supporting flexible container 1000 (which is not a stand up flexible container) having a product volume 1050 and an overall shape such as a triangle. However, in various embodiments, the self-supporting flexible container can have an overall shape, such as a polygon with any number of sides. The support frame 1040 is formed from structural support members arranged along the edges of a triangle and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a triangular top panel 1080-t, and a triangular bottom panel (not shown). The top panel 1080-t and the bottom panel are approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all of any of these side panels All, or all, may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 1000 includes a dispenser 1060 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 1000 . In the embodiment of FIG. 10A, the dispenser 1060 is disposed in the center of the front, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 1060 may be disposed at any other location on the top, side, or bottom of the container 1000. Location. Figure 10A includes exemplary additional/alternative locations for the dispenser (shown as dashed lines). FIG. 10B shows an end view of the flexible container 1000 of FIG. 10B resting on a horizontal support surface 1001 .

11A shows a top view of one embodiment of a self-supporting flexible container 1100 (which is not a stand up flexible container) having a product volume 1150 and an overall shape such as a circle. The support frame 1140 is formed from structural support members arranged around the circumference of a circle and joined together at their ends. The structural support members define a circular top panel 1180-t, and a circular bottom panel (not shown). The top panel 1180-t and the bottom panel are approximately flat, however, in various embodiments, a portion, portions, or approximately all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all of any of these side panels All, or all, may be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat. Container 1100 includes a dispenser 1160 configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumes disposed within container 1100 . In the embodiment of FIG. 11A , the dispenser 1160 is positioned in the center of the front, however, in various alternative embodiments, the dispenser 1160 may be positioned anywhere else on the top, side, or bottom of the container 1100. Location. FIG. 11A includes exemplary additional/alternative locations for dispensers (shown as dashed lines). FIG. 11B shows an end view of the flexible container 1100 of FIG. 10B resting on a horizontal support surface 1101 .

In further embodiments, any self-supporting container with a structural support frame as disclosed herein may be configured to have an overall shape corresponding to any other known three-dimensional shape. For example, any self-supporting container with a structural support frame as disclosed herein may be configured to have a Combinations of either correspond to general shapes (when viewed from the top view).

12A-14C illustrate various exemplary dispensers that may be used with the flexible containers disclosed herein. Figure 12A shows an isometric view of a push-pull dispenser 1260-a. Figure 12B shows an isometric view of the dispenser 1260-b with a flip top. Figure 12C shows an isometric view of a dispenser 1260-c with a screw cap. Figure 12D shows an isometric view of a rotatable dispenser 1260-d. Figure 12E shows an isometric view of a nozzle-type dispenser 1260-d with a cap. Figure 13A shows an isometric view of a straw dispenser 1360-a. Figure 13B shows an isometric view of a straw dispenser 1360-b with a lid. Figure 13C shows an isometric view of the flip-up straw dispenser 1360-c. Figure 13D shows an isometric view of a straw dispenser 1360-d with a bite valve. Figure 14A shows an isometric view of the pump. Figure 14B shows an isometric view of a pump spray dispenser 1460-b. Figure 14C shows an isometric view of trigger spray dispenser 1460-c.

To form flexible containers for fluent products such as those described above, the present disclosure contemplates a method that includes joining two flexible materials together to form a joined material. The method also includes at least partially forming at least one structural support volume from said joined material and forming at least one inflation port in communication with said at least one structural support volume. The method also includes joining an additional flexible material to the joined material to at least partially form a product volume for retaining the flowing product and also form a fill port in communication with the product volume.

According to the method, the product volume and the fill port can be formed in the same step or in separate steps.

The method advantageously comprises at least partially filling the product volume with a quantity of fluent product through the filling port. The method also suitably includes expanding said at least one structural support volume by depositing an expansion material into the structural support volume through an expansion port. After at least partially filling the product volume and depositing the expansion material, the method advantageously includes sealing the fill port and the expansion port.

In conjunction with sealing the fill and inflation ports, the method also contemplates removing substantially all of the fill and inflation ports while sealing the fill and inflation ports.

Preferably, the product volume is at least partially filled with a quantity of flowing product through the fill port, the fill port is subsequently sealed, and thereafter expansion material is deposited into the at least one structural support volume through the expansion port, followed by sealing the expansion port. However, it should be understood that after the product volume has been at least partially filled with flowing product and expansion material has been deposited into said at least one structural support volume, the fill port and expansion port 2 may be sealed one at a time, simultaneously or in either order. By. Furthermore, it should also be appreciated that it may be advantageous for some embodiments to reverse the order in which the product volume is at least partially filled with the flowing product and the expansion material is deposited into the at least one structural support volume.

Preferably, the fill port and the expansion port are sealed by one or both of heat sealing and ultrasonic welding, and the at least one structural support volume and product volume are at least partially formed by one of heat sealing and ultrasonic welding.

In another aspect, the step of joining additional flexible material to the joined material may include folding the joined material at least once and joining the joined material to itself to at least partially form a product volume and a fill port. The joined material is suitably folded in a region of the container opposite the fill port, and the folded joined material is joinable by aligned cutting and sealing steps to at least partially form a product volume for a flowable product and a fill port in communication with the product volume. In addition to the foregoing, the step of folding said joined material may also be used to create fold lines on said at least one structural support volume.

Alternatively, the step of joining an additional flexible material to said joined material may instead comprise joining a separate material to said joined material to at least partially form the product volume and fill port.

In one embodiment, said two flexible materials are bonded together to form said bonded material, and said folded bonded materials are bonded to form a product volume by a first heat sealing step and a second heat sealing step, respectively . In an alternative embodiment, said two flexible materials are joined together by a first heat sealing step to form said joined material, and said folded joined material is joined by a cutting and sealing step to form Product volume. Additionally, the method may also advantageously comprise forming a series of flexible containers, wherein after the heat sealing step or during the cutting and sealing step, each of the flexible containers is at least partially separated to form the product volume.

In one embodiment, the two flexible materials may comprise an inner flexible material and an outer flexible material, wherein neither the inner flexible material nor the outer flexible material is aligned. In another embodiment, the two flexible materials may comprise an inner flexible material and an outer flexible material, wherein at least the outer flexible material is aligned. In another embodiment, the two flexible materials may comprise an inner flexible material and an outer flexible material, wherein both the inner flexible material and the outer flexible material are aligned. In another embodiment, the inner and outer flexible materials may suitably comprise the same material, or alternatively they may comprise different materials.

In another aspect, the inner and outer flexible materials may suitably comprise two distinct sheets of material, or alternatively they may comprise two distinct webs of material.

In the latter case, the two webs of material may be conveyed in the machine direction with inflation and fill ports formed for: i) depositing expanded material in the transverse direction through the expansion ports, and ii) Filling the product volume laterally at least partially through the filling port. Alternatively, also where the two webs are conveyed in the machine direction, the expansion port and fill port may be formed for: i) depositing the expanded material through the expansion port at an angle of at least 45 degrees to the machine direction, and ii ) at least partially fills the product volume through the fill port at an angle of at least 45 degrees to the longitudinal direction. Alternatively, and also in the case where the two webs are conveyed in the longitudinal direction, expansion ports and filling ports may be formed for: i) depositing expansion material through the expansion ports opposite to the machine direction, and ii) through the filling ports The product volume is at least partially filled counter to the longitudinal direction.

In one embodiment, the flexible container has a top, bottom, middle, front, rear, left and right sides, and fill and inflation ports are formed at the top, bottom, middle, front, rear, left In at least one of the side and the right side for at least partially filling the product volume with fluent product and depositing expansion material into said at least one structural support volume, preferably wherein the container is oriented such that the fill port or expansion port faces upwards, regardless of where they are positioned on the flexible container. In this way, the deposition of the flowing product or expanding material into the product volume or the at least one structural support volume, respectively, is assisted by gravity. Additionally, the expanding material may also comprise any of a variety of materials capable of occupying said at least one structural support volume and rendering it rigid, including a wide range of materials, preferably including liquid nitrogen, It may be deposited into the at least one structural support volume through an expansion port, which may then be sealed to allow liquid nitrogen to change phase or evaporate to pressurize the at least one structural support volume.

According to the method, an expansion material filling nozzle may be provided for depositing expansion material into the at least one structural support volume through the expansion port. The expandable material fill nozzle may be moved relative to the expansion port in a manner that i) moves in at least one direction to position the expandable material fill nozzle at least adjacent to the expansion port for depositing expandable material to the at least one structural support in the volume, and ii) in at least one direction to move the expansion material filling nozzle away from the expansion port after depositing the expansion material into the at least one structural support volume. Before the expansion material fill nozzle is positioned at least adjacent to the expansion port, the expansion port guide nozzle may be positioned within the expansion port, in which case the expansion material fill nozzle may be caused when the expansion port guide nozzle is positioned in the expansion port Moving into the expansion port pilot nozzle, the expansion material fill nozzle may then be removed from the expansion port pilot nozzle prior to or simultaneously with removal of the expansion port pilot nozzle from the expansion port.

Alternatively, the expansion port guide nozzle may be positioned within the expansion port and the expansion material filling nozzle may be held stationary and the expansion material deposited into the at least one structural support volume from outside the expansion port through the expansion port guide nozzle and as a further alternative to not using the expansion port filling nozzle, the expansion material filling nozzle may be kept fixed and the expansion material deposited into the at least one structural support volume from outside the expansion port.

According to the method, a blast of gas may be directed at or within the inflation port to open the inflation port and/or the structural support volume. The inflation port may suitably comprise an open space between the two seals. Preferably, the inflation port has a width at its narrowest point of about 3 mm to about 50 mm, more preferably about 4 mm to about 25 mm, still more preferably about 5 mm to about 10 mm, and a length of about 0.5 cm to about 20 cm, more preferably The ground is about 1 cm to about 15 cm, and about 2 cm to about 10 cm. An expansion port can be defined as a channel extending away from the product volume.

According to the method, a fluent product filling nozzle may be provided to deposit the fluent product into the product volume through the filling port, and the fluent product filling nozzle is moved relative to the filling port. The fluent product filling nozzle can be moved in at least one direction relative to the filling port: i) in at least one direction to position the fluent product filling nozzle at least adjacent to the filling port for depositing the fluent product into the product volume, and ii) movement occurs in at least one direction to move the fluent product filling nozzle away from the filling port after depositing the fluent product into the product volume.

Before the fluent product filling nozzle is positioned at least adjacent to the fill port, the fill port guide nozzle may be positioned within the fill port, in which case the fluent product may fill the nozzle when the fill port guide nozzle is positioned in the fill port Moving into the fill port pilot nozzle, the fluent product filling nozzle may then be removed from the fill port pilot nozzle prior to or simultaneously with removal of the fill port pilot nozzle from the fill port.

Alternatively, the fill port guide nozzle may be positioned within the fill port, and the fluent product fill nozzle may be held stationary, and the fluent product deposited into the product volume through the fill port guide nozzle from outside the fill port; and as not used An alternative to the fill port guided nozzle allows the fluent product fill nozzle to remain stationary and deposit the fluent product into the product volume from outside the fill port.

According to the method, a blast of gas may be directed at or within the fill port to open the fill port and/or the product volume. The fill port may suitably comprise an open space between the two seals, preferably having a width at the narrowest point of from about 5mm to about 500mm, more preferably from about 10mm to about 200mm, still more preferably from about 10mm to about 100mm , and still more preferably from about 25 mm to about 75 mm, and from about 0.5 cm to about 20 cm in length, more preferably from about 1 cm to about 15 cm, and from about 2 to about 10 cm. A fill port can be defined as a channel extending away from the product volume.

In another aspect, according to the method, the product volume may be filled with an amount of flowing product comprising between about 1% and about 100%, preferably between about 50% and about 100%, of the total usable volume comprising the product volume , and more preferably between about 75% and about 100%.

In another aspect, the method includes the step of removing at least some, preferably most, and more preferably about all of the air from the product volume prior to sealing the fill port. In some embodiments, this will not be air, but includes removal of whatever gas the package was manufactured in (eg manufactured in a CO-enriched environment or a nitrogen-enriched environment).

According to the method, a flexible container is preferably formed having a top and a bottom and comprising a base structure formed from said joined material by folding said joined material at the bottom of the flexible container and forming a seal. Gussets may be provided therein by forming a seal in the base structure. Additionally, a product dispensing port (which may or may not include a fill port) may be formed in communication with the product volume and be sealed, openable for dispensing the fluent product, and closable after the fluent product has been dispensed.

With reference to the foregoing, the method also contemplates forming one or more apertures in at least one of said two flexible materials joined to include in a portion of said joined materials the The joined material folded at the bottom of the flexible container to form the base structure.

The method may advantageously comprise opening the filling port before at least partially filling the product volume with the quantity of fluent product through the filling port. The fill port may conveniently be opened by clamping the flexible container at at least two selected points which are moved closer to each other. This can include mechanical or pneumatic clamping with clamps. Additionally, the fill port can also be opened by using clamps to selectively clamp and release the flexible container through the front and rear. The additional fixture may include a vacuum for applying suction to the front and back of the flexible container to open the fill port for deposition of the fluent product. These clamping strategies can be used alone or in combination with each other or with other clamping strategies.

The method may also include opening the expansion port prior to depositing expansion material through the expansion port into the at least one structural support volume. The inflation port may also be opened by clamping the flexible container at at least two selected points that are moved closer to each other. This can include mechanical or pneumatic clamping with clamps. In addition, the inflation port can also be opened by using a clamp to selectively clamp and release the flexible container through the front and rear. The clamp may include a vacuum for applying suction to the front and rear of the flexible container to open the expansion port for deposition of the expansion material. These clamping strategies can be used alone or in combination with each other or with other clamping strategies.

Referring to FIG. 15 , there is shown a production line 1500 for performing the method of forming flexible containers according to the present disclosure. Production line 1500 includes a pair of unwind stands 1502a, 1502b for unwinding first and second webs 1504a, 1504b in a controlled manner. The unwind frames 1502a, 1502b introduce tension into the respective webs 1504a, 1504b. Next, the first web and the second web each pass through a metering unit 1506, 1508 cooperating with 1511 (1511 being the metering unit for one web) to equalize the tension in said webs. A sensor system at location 1509 enables alignment and/or registration of the pattern on one or both of the webs 1504a, 1504b and the punching created by 1510. Punch holes 1510 provide access through the outer layers of joined materials for performing sealing operation 1534 . From this point, the webs 1504a, 1504b travel to a sealing station 1512, which includes a rotary sealer to at least partially form one or more structural support volumes.

Sealing station 1512 may form a complex non-linear thermal seal through two or more layers, such as an inner layer and an outer layer, to at least partially form one or more structural support volumes and for receiving an expanding material such as liquid nitrogen One or more expansion ports.

After the one or more structural support volumes have been formed, the joined webs 1504a, 1504b pass through a folding station 1514 to be folded onto the other two layers of the joined webs to form the gusset. first fold. Next, the joined and folded web passes through a sealing station 1516, where the now four or more layers, such as outer-inner-inner-outer, pass through a rotary sealer to seal the gussets. The first half of the plate and defines the product dispensing port. Following this step, the joined and folded web is passed through a rotary cutting die 1518 to be cut and trimmed around the product dispensing port for the flexible container.

After cutting and trimming around the product dispensing port, the joined and folded web passes through folding station 1520 where the folded horns continue with gusset formation. Next, the joined and folded web passes through another folding station 1522 where corners/rails are folded to complete the gusset formation. After this step, the joined and folded web passes through another sealing station 1524 where a rotary sealer seals the second half of the gusset.

After completing these initial steps in the gusset forming and sealing process, the joined and folded web passes through cutting station 1526 where rotary knives are trimmed around the inflation and fill ports. Next, the joined and folded web passes through a final folding station 1528 to collapse the T-folds flat to complete gusset formation in the region of now 6 to 8 layers. Finally, the joined and folded web passes through another sealing station 1530 where another heat seal is formed in the area of now 6 to 8 layers to provide structure for the gusset.

After all gusset formation is complete, the joined and folded web passes through another sealing station 1532 where a perimeter seal is partially formed to at least partially form the product volume, and then the joined and folded The web passes through another sealing station 1534 where the perimeter seal is fully formed in the now 8 to 4 layer transition point. Thereafter, the joined and folded web is passed through a rotary cutting die 1536 to complete the production of fully formed separate flexible container blanks from the folded and joined web.

With the fully formed separated flexible container blanks complete, the containers pass through container blank processing station 1538 where each separated container may be gripped for further processing. The flexible container is gripped for transfer at gripping station 1540 . Next, the flexible container passes through an open and fill station 1542 where a fluent product is deposited through the fill port of the flexible container to at least partially fill the product volume. Next, the flexible container passes through the package deflate and seal station 1544, where excess air is removed from the product volume to raise the flowing product to the desired fill level, and the product fill port is sealed or partially sealed to divert the flow. Products are limited within the product volume.

Where the flexible container has a fluent product in the product volume, the flexible container passes through a further filling station 1546 where an expansion material, such as liquid nitrogen, is deposited through the expansion port into the at least one structural support volume. Next, the flexible container passes through the sealing/cutting station 1548, where the expansion port is sealed to confine the expansion material within the at least one structural support volume, and any unsealed portion of the product fill port is sealed to confine the flowing product to the product volume inside, and cuts are made to remove the fill and inflation ports and finalize the flexible container. In the case of liquid nitrogen, sealing the expansion port allows the liquid nitrogen to evaporate to pressurize the at least one structural support volume.

Once the flexible container has gone through the production process, it can be grouped with other flexible containers at 1550, the grouped flexible container can be inserted into secondary packaging for shipping, and the secondary packaging can be transferred to Unit loader.

Figures 16A and 16B show the first web 1504a and the second web 1504b after leaving a sealing station 1512 for joining the webs together during which at least partially a One or more structural support volumes and one or more expansion ports for receiving expansion material such as liquid nitrogen. 17A and 17B show the first web 1504a and the second web 1504b after leaving the folding station 1514 where the two or more layers of the web have been folded to form a gusset The first fold of the board. 18A and 18B show the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through the sealing station 1516, where now four or more layers such as outer-inner-inner-outer have been Run through a rotary sealer to seal the first half of the gusset and the product dispensing port. Figures 19A and 19B show the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through a rotary cutting die 1518 used to cut and trim product dispensing ports for flexible containers. Figures 20A and 20B show the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through the folding station 1520 where the folding horns continue with gusset formation. Figures 21A and 21B show the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through another folding station 1522 where folding the corners/rails completes the gusset formation. Figures 22A and 22B show the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through another sealing station 1524 where the rotary sealer seals the second half of the gusset. Figure 23 shows the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through another sealing station 1532 where a perimeter seal is partially formed; The joined and folded web where the perimeter seal is fully formed in the transition point of now 8 to 4 layers. Figures 24A, 24B and 24C show the joined and folded webs 1504a, 1504b after passing through the rotary cutting die 1536 used to complete the complete A separate flexible container is formed. Figure 25 shows the fully formed separated flexible container prior to passing through the sealing/cutting station 1548 where the inflation port is sealed to confine the inflation material within the at least one structural support volume and cut for removal Fill port and inflation port and finalize the flexible container for shipment.

Part, parts or all of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined with part, parts or all of other embodiments known in the art of flexible containers, including those described below.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may use any and all of the embodiments of materials, structures, and/or features of flexible containers, and any and all of the methods of making and/or using such flexible containers, as described in the following patents Disclosed in the application: (1) U.S. non-provisional patent application 13/888,679 filed on May 7, 2013 entitled "Flexible Containers" and published as US20130292353 (Applicant Docket No. 12464M); (2) May 2013 U.S. non-provisional patent application 13/888,721 (Applicant Docket No. 12464M2) filed on the 7th, entitled "FlexibleContainers" and published as US20130292395; (3) filed on May 7, 2013, named "FlexibleContainers" and published as US20130292415 (4) U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application 13/888,756, filed May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers Having a Decoration Panel" and published as US20130292287 (Applicant Docket No. 12559M); (5) U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application 13/957,158, filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Methods of Making Flexible Containers" and published as US20140033654 (Applicant Docket No. 12559M); and (6) August 1, 2013 (7) Filed on May 7, 2013 and named "Flexible Containers with Multiple Product Volumes" and published as US20130292413 U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application 13/889,000 (Applicant Docket No. 12785M); (8) U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application 13/889,061 (Applicant Docket No. 12786M); (9) U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application 13/889,090, filed May 7, 2013, entitled "Flexible Materials for Flexible Containers" and published as US20130294711 (Applicant Docket No. 12786M2); (10) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/861,100, filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Disposable Flexible Containershaving Surface Elements" (Applicant Docket No. 13016P); (11) filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containershaving Improved Seamand Methods of Making the Same (12) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/861,118, filed August 1, 2013, entitled "Methods of Forminga Flexible Container" (Applicant Docket No. 13018P); ( 13) U.S. provisional patent application 61/861,129 (Applicant Docket No. 13019P) entitled "Enhancements to Tactile Interaction with FilmWalled Packaging Having AirFilled Structural Support Volumes" filed on August 1, 2013; (14) Chinese patent application entitled "Flexible Containers Having a Squeeze Panel" filed on October 11, 2013 Application CN2013/085045 (Applicant Docket No. 13036); (15) Chinese Patent Application CN2013/085065 (Applicant Docket No. 13037) filed on October 11, 2013, entitled "StableFlexibleContainers" (Applicant Docket No. 13037); (16) November 2013 U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,450 filed on the 6th, entitled "Flexible Containers and Methods of Forming the Same" (Applicant Docket No. 13126P); Applicant Docket No. 13127P); (18) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,501, filed November 6, 2013, entitled "Containers Having a Product Volume and a Stand-Off Structure Coupled Thereto" (Applicant Docket No. 13128P); (19) November 6, 2013 The commit is named "FlexibleContainersHavingFlexib leValves" U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,508 (Applicant Docket No. 13129P); (20) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,514, filed November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers with Vent Systems" (Applicant Docket No. 13130P); (21) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,765, filed November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers for use with Short Shelf-Life Products and Methods for Accelerating Distribution of Flexible Containers" (Applicant Docket No. 13131P); (23) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,805, filed November 6, 2013, entitled "Flexible Containers and Methods of Making the Same" (Applicant Docket No. 13133P); (24 ) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/900,810, entitled "Flexible Containers and Methods of Making the Same," filed November 6, 2013 (Applicant Docket No. 13134P); each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Part, parts or all of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may also be combined with part, parts or all of other embodiments known in the art of containers for flowable products, as long as those embodiments can It can be applied to the flexible container disclosed herein. For example, in various embodiments, a flexible container may include a vertically oriented transparent strip disposed on a portion of the container covering a product volume and configured to show a plane of flowing product in the product volume.

It should be understood that the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not intended to be strictly limited to the precise values recited. Instead, unless otherwise indicated, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

Unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited, every document cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patent or patent publication, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art to any document disclosed or claimed herein or that it is presented alone or in any combination with any other reference or references, Any such embodiments are suggested or disclosed. Furthermore, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document will control.

While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, while various aspects of the claimed subject matter are described herein, such aspects need not be utilized in combination. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Claims (15)

1. A method of forming a flexible container, the method comprising: Bond the first flexible material (#1504a in Figure 15; page 62, lines 1-10) and the second flexible material (#1504b in Figure 15; page 62, lines 1-10) to materials forming the joint; The method is characterized in that the method further comprises: Using said bonded materials, at least partially form (#1512 in Figure 15; page 62, lines 1-10) structural support volumes (#144-1, #146-1, #146- in Figure 1 2 and 148-1; pages) and expansion ports in communication with the structural support volume ("LN2 fill" in Figure 24C; page 62, lines 11-15); and By bonding a third flexible material to said bonded material, a product volume (#150; in FIG. 1 ) and a fill port in communication with said product volume ("Product Fill" in FIG. 24B; 62, lines 11-15). 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing an expansion material into the structural support volume through the expansion port. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the depositing occurs while the container being formed is inverted. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein forming the fill port occurs upon inversion of the container being formed. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the formation of the inflation port occurs upon inversion of the container being formed. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein said depositing comprises depositing said intumescent material, said intumescent material comprising one or more phase change materials. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said depositing comprises depositing said expansion material, said expansion material comprising liquid nitrogen. 8. The method of any one of claims 2-7, further comprising opening the inflation port prior to the depositing by clamping the flexible container with one or more vacuum clamps. 9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the forming of the inflation port comprises forming the inflation port from an open space between two seals of the bonded material. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein forming the inflation port comprises forming the inflation port from the open space, the open space having a narrowest width of about 5 millimeters to about 10 millimeters. 11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the forming of the fill port comprises forming the fill port from an open space between two seals of the joined material. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the fill port includes forming the fill port from the open space, the open space having a narrowest width of about 25 millimeters to about 75 millimeters. 13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the forming of the fill port comprises forming the fill port also configured as a product dispensing port. 14. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising removing air from the product volume. 15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: opening the fill port by clamping the flexible container with one or more vacuum clamps; and After said opening, fluent product is added to said product volume through said fill port.